Iridescent Sky
by Ruby Yukito
Summary: It's been 2 years since Ruby last saw Sapphire. Or even talked to her. Now, after two lonely years of training and winning contests, Ruby has finally returned home. After a welcome reunion and an unexpected one, watch what unfolds in Iridescent Sky, my first ever fanfic! Genres: Humor, Romance, Adventure l Shippings: Frantic, Special, Oldrival, Mangaquest
1. Prologue

**Hello! I'm a new FanFiction author here. I have been inspired by many other authors to finally make my own story. This is a FranticShipping story, with a few hints of Special, OldRival, and MangaQuest here and there. So, I'm trying to make this a long term project, and I hope my first story is going to be a good one. Be aware, I might hint to various other fanfics for these two, and I'll reveal those the chapter after the one with the hints. I might have some spelling and grammar mistakes here and there, so please forgive me if I do. And please leave a review so I can see how I did. I do not own anything.**

 **Enjoy!**

 ***Tips: (..)-Meant a short time skip**

 **(...)-Meant a long time skip**

 **('')/(Italic)-Meant it was a character's thought**

 **("")-Speech/dialogue**

 **(Isolated Italic word/phrase)-Meant it was emphasized on**

* * *

 _Iridescent-Prologue:_

 _The cool spring breeze gently played with the raven-black hair of a crimson-eyed, messy-looking little boy. Struggling to pull away from his young mother's hold, the boy kept envisioning a tough boy, the same age as him, ready to engage in a friendly Pokémon battle with him. "Ruby!" Aisuru exclaimed, attempting to make her mischievous little monkey gobble down a piece of toast. "It's not as if the Professor's child is gonna run away!" Finally, the young trainer caved in and grudgingly ate the piece of toast. Smirking cheerfully, Aisuru gently patted his head. "Good monkey." He growled, turning away from his mother and taking off with his running shoes in the direction of the forest where he was to meet his new friend._

 _.._

 _Heavy breathing and panting escaped into the air as Ruby skidded to a halt a few feet from the river bank. Calming himself after a while, he anxiously and eagerly searched around the area in search for the boy he hoped to meet and challenge. His eyes stopped on a young, pretty brunette in a pink, frilly dress at the edge of the river. Quickly diverting his eyes from her, he frantically searched the remainder of the area for a male, at least, but found none. He sighed, a little disappointed. Maybe the pretty girl by the river was the Professor's child, his playmate._

 _But he couldn't bear to think of that as a possibility._

 _So he sat down and leaned his head against a tree, and patiently waited. For seconds. Then minutes. Then half an hour. He hesitated to stand up, but soon accepted the fact, and walked over to the girl. He gently tapped her shoulder and she flinched, clearly startled. She turned around and stared at him in surprise. Ruby moved back a little, and the 5-year old brunette stood up. Fidgeting around and playing with her fingers, the girl shyly stared at her elegant shoes._

 _"Hi there! I'm Ruby! Our parents set up a playdate for us!" Ruby cheerfully greeted with a smile, holding out his hand for her to shake. The brunette shyly looked up, with both admiration and confusion at his outgoing attitude. "Hi...I'm...S-Sapphire.." she stammered, nervously flashing a small smile at him, and shaking his hand. He froze in place, staring with awe at how cute her face looked when she smiled. She noticed him staring, and slightly blushed and looked away. Ruby soon noticed this and looked away as well, blushing a teeny bit more._

 _"So...what do you wanna do first?" the young trainer asked, curious as to what this girl liked to do."Um...look at the other Pokémon near the forest...?" Sapphire suggested, uncertainly. Ruby smiled again. He liked how this girl thought."I like your idea, but I wanted to do something a little bit different." he said, emphasizing the word by moving together his pointer finger and thumb to create a 1 mm space in between. Sapphire found this..rather cute, and giggled. "What is it?" she asked, curiosity evident in her eyes._

 _"You'll see." he said, grinning from ear to ear. He grabbed her hand and took off toward the forest. "C'mon, Fire-chan!" he exclaimed, looking back at her with an excited expression. 'Fire? When did he come up with a nickname for me? And he's already calling me a close friend?' Sapphire thought. 'He's a bit weird..' Having realized Ruby was relentlessly speeding up his pace, she came back to her senses. Frantically, she tightened her grip on his soft hand and struggled to imitate his pace. She felt a little uneasy running into a forest with a stranger._

 _But for some reason, she couldn't help but feel unusually safe with him._

 _.._

 _Two shadows appeared near the bottom of a spruce tree, as some heavy breathing blended in with the peaceful sounds of the coniferous forest. The two little figures straightened up, and a slightly high pitched, silky voice rang out. "So..what are we gonna do?" Sapphire asked a breathless Ruby, her curiosity gaining the better hand over her politeness. However, Ruby looked up with the same grin as before. "You'll see." he repeated. 'I admit, that annoys me to some extent.' Just then he grabbed her hand again, and she couldn't help but blush a bit. "Follow me." he said, excitedly and softly at the same time, if that was possible._

 _Soon after, the duo arrived at what looked like a small clearing near one of the corners of the forest. Ruby walked out onto a soft patch of grass, and gestured to Sapphire to sit next to him. She obediently followed, and went she settled down, he whistled out a tune. While he did that, he threw up 3 Pokeballs in the air. Out came a Mudkip, a cool Poochyena, and a cute looking Skitty. And along with those 3, multiple Seedots, Wurmples and some Corphish and Lotads from the lake near the forest, neared their position._

 _Startled, Sapphire began to panic, hyperventilating and clutching to Ruby's shirt, frantically telling him to run away."Ruby,run!" she exclaimed, a panicked expression of shock and despair visible on her face. However, Ruby remained still, and had a reassuring smile on his face. "It's ok, Fire-chan!" he said, and gently pulled her down. As he did that, the Pokemon closed the remaining distance between them, and...started nuzzling against Ruby and Sapphire._

 _The duo started giggling, and Ruby started to nuzzle them back. That immediately made Sapphire calm down, and she shyly ruffled the fur on Ruby's Skitty. She then pressed her back against Ruby's, and giggled again. Now, she felt safer and more comfortable. Smiling, she started hugging all the Pokemon huddled near her, feeling their warmth. "We're playing with Pokemon today.." Ruby softly said, as if it wasn't already obvious. Finally, Sapphire understood why he kept it a surprise, and smiled wider. "I promise we'll be the best of friends.." Sapphire said..closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. "I promise to never part from you..." Ruby replied, feeling drowsy himself. The two wanted to keep their promises.._

 _Suddenly, he felt a buzzing.'My PokeGear..?'_

 _Ruby opened his eyes to see-_

Red painted walls?

The teenager quickly looked around, only to find himself in front of his desk, holding a picture album. Sighing, he looked down at the picture on the page he was on. Him and Sapphire after their first playdate, playing with Pokemon...

There he was, again, celebrating his birthday with nobody but himself.

He shook his head, took off his hat and plopped down on his bed. And drifted off to sleep, hugging the album to his torso.

To escape reality.

The reality, where he had broken that promise.

* * *

 **So, how'd you guys like it? Was it okay for a prologue? Please review and give me some feedback. I'd really appreciate it! And, I'll update as soon as I can. Probably within the next , I guess, until next time! :D**

 **Cya** ~


	2. Chapter 1-Numb

**Hey guys! Heh, I have no homework today so uh, time to update! This is chapter 1. The prologue and 1** **st** **chapter will consist of a daydream, nightmare and hallucination/flashback, respectively. So, enjoy!**

 ***Note: I will be adding the ends of chapters to its successors for a small reminder**

* * *

 _Ruby opened his eyes to see-_

 _Red painted walls?_

 _The teenager quickly looked around, only to find himself in front of his desk, holding a picture album. Sighing, he looked down at the picture on the page he was on. Him and Sapphire after their first playdate, playing with Pokémon..._

 _There he was, again, celebrating his birthday with nobody but himself._

 _He shook his head, took off his hat and plopped down on his bed. And drifted off to sleep, hugging the album to his torso._

 _To escape reality._

 _The reality, where he had broken that promise._

 _Chapter 1- Numb_

 _.._

 _The serene, tepid weather came to a stop, as a blue-red dragon flew down from an unknown location, onto the grassy open field. A pair of 5-year olds jerked their heads around to face the colossal Salamence, which roared a roar, intensity abysmal. The two stood stagnant for a while._

 _Ruby and Sapphires' stationary stances quickly broke, as Ruby walked up in front of Sapphire, protecting her. The turquoise-eyed brunette cowered behind her close friend, silently hoping he wouldn't get hurt protecting her. She glanced at the dragon._

 _Superficial wounds covered its scaly skin. Aghast, Sapphire endeavored to call for help, but it only came out as a breathless, dry gasp. Then, Ruby threw 3 Pokeballs into the air, and the deadly battle began._

 _.._

 _A breathless bellow escaped the Salamence's mouth as it fainted, falling to the ground. Sapphire quickly ran up to her savior, with a worried look on her face. Ruby had fought adroitly and with ardor, being anything but apathetic._

 _He turned around and faced her._

 _And she froze._

 _Ruby's face-no, she wasn't sure if it was his anymore-was drenched in blood and sweat. Two parallel, gruesome scars disfigured the cute face he once bore._

 _Scars that foreshadowed a burning hell of pain._

 _Quickly walking backwards, she fell on her butt, covering her face. "S-s-scary…" she sobbed, breathless and shaken by the sight in front of her._

 _At that moment, the two couldn't differentiate between Ruby and the Salamence._

 _As she u_ _nconsciously_ _sobbed and scrambled away from Ruby, he started changing, his feet turning into paws adorned with fur and claws. His body became that of a skin-doffed animal. And he pounced on her._

" _Ruby! Please! RUBY!" a scream rang out._

 _The monster froze-_

And a raven haired teenager snapped out of his nightmare, gasping and letting out heavy breaths.

Crimson eyes appeared underneath his open eyelids, as Ruby adjusted to the light and rubbed his eyes tiredly. _A nightmare..?_ He felt a rectangular object on his lap, and found the picture album.

This time, it had randomly flipped to the page where he had finally recuperated from his injuries from the Salamence accident, Aisuru and Sapphire hugging him. _How coincidental…_

Flipping it close, Ruby set off to fix his room.

..

"Catty!" Coco barked, in an affable manner, as Ruby brushed her elegant fur. The Delcatty _had_ to look cute for the contests, after all, and that included fur. The Normal-Type stretched, contented with its grooming.

Nana barked, slightly ticklish from the smooth brush. The coordinator sighed, relieved that he had finished grooming his Mightyena.

 _Buzz..Buzz…._

"Hmm?" Ruby muttered some inaudible words as he read the name of the caller. _Steven Stone.._

..

"Speaking of your flight back to Hoenn, shouldn't you be going now?"

"Shit."

Ruby hurriedly hung up, and packed the remaining items on his desk, gesturing for Coco and Nana to follow him. The two nodded, going back into their Pokeballs. Frantically, he threw his bag over his shoulders and headed out of the room, handing his keys to Nurse Joy.

 _I really should have stayed in the apartment. These rooms barely have enough space. And the last contest just HAD to be won day before yesterday..I could've celebrated my birthday with everyone else…_

Bending down and activating his running shoes, the coordinator sped off toward the nearest airport.

...

"Please buckle up, we have reached the landing strip." a monotone voice rang out, notifying Ruby of the fact. _I'm almost home, Sapphire. Just wait a little bit longer._ Those thoughts did it. Images started flashing before his mind, and before he knew it, daydreaming took over his mind.

..

" _Ruby! Oh, my little monkey, you're finally healed!" Aisuru cried, spilling tears of joy as she hugged her precious child. It had been 2 weeks after the Salamence incident. Norman, Ruby's father, was obviously not here, for he was dealing with some…troubling matters…_

 _Aisuru soon leaned back and released her tight hold on Ruby, glancing behind her shoulder. The mother gestured for Sapphire to come over, and the brunette obediently did so. "Ruby…you're okay!" the girl exclaimed, hugging her dear friend and savior in the same manner as his mother. "Yeah..I am.." the boy replied, hugging her back. Soon, they broke apart._

 _All of a sudden, Sapphire started blushing slightly, and nervously leaned toward Ruby._

 _And placed a sweet kiss on his cheek._

 _The boy took a while to respond, registering what happened, and recording the sensation of warm lips on his skin. Soon, his entire face heated up and turned visibly red. Sapphire giggled and blushed as well, embracing her savior once again._

" _Don't ever get hurt like that again.." Sapphire whispered with a smile, her mouth brushing against his ear. Ruby shivered at her touch, but smiled._

" _I won't."_

 _He soon felt himself being violently shaken-_

"Hey, mister! !" a flight attendant called, bringing him back to the world. "We've arrived."

"Oh. My bad. I'm sorry." Ruby replied apologetically. He grabbed his bag and followed the attendant, getting off the jet. Reaching into his pocket, he fished out his PokeGear. Searching through his contact list, he called the person he was looking for-Professor Birch.

"Hello. Professor Birch of Hoenn here." A cheerful, manly voice said. "Hey, Professor. It's me. Ruby."

"Oh. Hello Ruby. How are you? Contests going well?" _I freakin' swear his voice sounded a little angry that time._

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wanted to talk to you about this. I finished all the contests-"

"What?!"

Sighing, Ruby continued. "Yeah, I did. And I'm already back home."

"WHAT!? You're at home?!" _The Professor's obviously surprised and confused._

"No. I just got off the plane. So, about getting home. Could you send Pilo here? It's the small airport by the edge of Dewford."

"Oh. Yeah, sure thing." Ruby hung up.

..

As he paced back and forth on the sandy shore, he noticed Pilo gliding down. Smiling, Ruby trotted up to the Tropius and patted its neck. "Hey, Pilo. Thanks for coming." he said.

The boy boosted himself up onto the creature's back, and got comfortable on it. Pilo started flapping its leafy wings and flew into the air at a steady pace. As the two enjoyed the breeze during the trip back, Ruby's mind drifted back to his nightmare the night before.

And he recalled one word.

" _S-s-scary.."_

He froze.

 _Why that word..? Why..the one word that changed my life..?_

Those were his thoughts as he sat on the creature.

And felt..

 _Numb._

* * *

 **Welp, that was it for the 1** **st** **chapter! How'd you like this one guys? Please continue to tell me how I did by reviewing! Don't forget!**

 **Cya**


	3. Chapter 2-What I've Done

**Hey guys! I only had one assignment today so I can still update. Here's a slightly longer 2** **nd** **chapter.**

 **And you might have noticed, I name my chapters after Linkin Park songs. I might use others in the future, so FYI.**

 **Weekend's here, so updating continues on Sunday and Monday.**

 ***Note: I accidentally messed up and switched the name where the airport was last chapter. It was Dewford, not Oldale. The place where he lands is Oldale.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The boy boosted himself up onto the creature's back, and got comfortable on it. Pilo started flapping its leafy wings and flew into the air at a steady pace. As the two enjoyed the breeze during the trip back, Ruby's mind drifted back to his nightmare the night before.

And he recalled one word.

" _S-s-scary.."_

He froze.

 _Why that word..? Why..the one word that changed my life..?_

Those were his thoughts as he sat on the creature.

And felt..

 _Numb._

 _Chapter 2-What I've Done_

..

A pair of greenish, leafy wings relaxed as a Brontosaurus-like creature landed onto the soft dirt with a soft thud. A well-built, raven haired teenager slid down the Tropius' side, gracefully getting off his transport. Crimson eyes looked at Pilo as Ruby gratefully patted its back and half-hugged it.

Those eyes that were out of a flicker, empty of emotion for the past 2 years, despite everything he was doing. The same eyes now burned with passion, like it used to. And it still held that slight tint of happiness.

The coordinator that bore those eyes, quickly ran past Oldale Town, jumping over the slightly raised patches of grass. Ruby, being the erudite person he was, avoided being dilatory when he passed sharp turns.

The male soon reached his destination, and walked up to the front door. Immediately noticing a piece of paper on it, Ruby read the little note aloud.

"Whole family away. Visiting neighbor's house. Be back later.-Birch Residence" Ruby read, puzzled and disappointed, as he turned away from the ambiguous message and silently walking back home.

..

 _I wonder what they're doing there…_

The raven-haired male slowly pushed open the door, ready to surprise his friends and family.

But they had done it first.

"Surprise!"

Multiple cheerful voices rang out, lest some emotionless ones. Ruby had definitely been surprised, as he stared in awe at the little surprise party the rest of the DexHolders and Gym Leaders held. They had adorned his house with birthday banners, covered it with the confetti from their airtight cylinders, and had all cosplayed as his different Pokémon.

"Happy Belated Birthday!"

Ruby grinned happily and looked at all his friends.

"Hey guys! Thanks!" He exclaimed, commencing a group hug with all the others. After the hug, he looked around to search for a certain brunette.

But didn't find her.

Immediately, an upbeat and touching mood turned into a silent, bitter one.

"…Where's…Sapphire..?" The male asked, his melancholy state obvious.

"We don't know.." A soft-spoken Crystal answered, apologetically.

"Haven't seen her since yesterday.." Blue added, sadness utterly opaque in her tone.

"She hadn't told me anything. When I got back from my daily research hike, she wasn't home. No note, nothing." Professor Birch recalled, hurt and concern conveyed in his tone.

"Sorry Ruby.." A trite-looking Emerald said.

"It's not your fault, Senpai." Diamond spoke, attempting to reprieve him.

"Yeah, Ruby, lighten up." Wallace suddenly walked up and patted his back.

"Not like she died or something. She'll probably come back soon." A usual Green spoke. But the rest of them couldn't help it. His personality and the cheerful and cute Minun costume he wore didn't match one bit. Every single one of them, excluding Green, burst out laughing, quite uncontrollably.

Ruby rolled around on the ground, clutching his sides and trying to stop. Soon enough, everyone stopped, and the reunion returned to its original state. "Hey, Ruby. It's alright. I'll bet she's on her way right now. Why not have some fun till she does?" Red suggested, clearly trying to change the mood.

"Ok." Ruby nodded, and followed the rest of the group to the living room, smiling.

 _I'll try, I guess…_

..

Ruby heard Yellow giggle as Red defeated the last of Gold's Pokémon without getting a single scratch. "That'll do a good beating to his over-confident ego." Silver snorted, clearly enjoying it, though the redhead preferred to keep his emotions hidden.

 _Those two sure are the exact opposite of each other. I wonder how they got to be best friends. But then again, if I said that, we'd all be rethinking our friendships._

He watched Crystal walk over to Gold, crossing her arms. "You should really let go of your high self-esteem, Gold." Crystal complained, seriousness visible. "Aw, c'mon, Super Serious Gal. As long as I have you, I'll always be boasting." He replied, smirking as he threw a light peck on her lips.

Grinning as he watched her blush, he decided to use his final move. "I love you, Crystal."

 _BAM._

"Oww…"

Gold silently whined, rubbing the spot where Crystal elbowed him.

"Not like this is the first time I kissed you…" The golden-eyed teenager added, pouting.

Huffing, the blue haired trainer turned away and marched back to talk with Silver. Ruby turned around to talk with Red, but noticed a certain short blonde already embracing him.

"You were _awesome_ , Red!" Yellow exclaimed, smiling, looking into his eyes happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Ruby's senior heartily laughed, pulling Yellow close. "All of it's for you."

The boy watched as the couple walked over to the forest, holding hands.

"Looks like I won the bet." A nonchalant, empty voice took Ruby's attention, as he looked behind him to see Green and Blue bantering like an old married couple. "So what!?" a furious Blue exclaimed, obviously not expecting this.

"I bet that I could do anything to you if I won, and you said the same…Now, about the request..."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

"Sure." Ruby was astonished at how casually this occurred, but shrugged it off. _They love each other, so it's natural…_ He thought, watching the two kissing.

He turned away, but his eyes locked on another scene; Red and Yellow making out near the edge of the forest pathway. _There's so much lovey dovey stuff between us DexHolders nowadays…_ Ruby trailed off, imagining him and Sapphire kissing.

How her lips would feel against his…

Ruby jerked his mind back into his head, clearly astonished and embarrassed that he was thinking of him and Sapphire that way. _She's not even here for my birthday…_ He silently thought, but then took it back, not wanting to get accused of hypocrisy. He hung his head and walked back to his house to sulk.

The birthday boy found himself sitting in the living room, soon catching on to the conversation between the adults and the Sinnoh trio and joining in. Convo after convo, topic after topic, sentence after sentence, the raven-haired male passed the time.

..

Soon after, the other DexHolders walked through the front door, most with a smile on their faces, whilst Green and Silver had their usual emotionless facades on, and Emerald being his typical hyper self.

Ruby's friends seated themselves amongst the other guests: Wallace, Winona, Sapphire's parents, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

The entire group soon got bored and switched over to games. Silver, Green, Diamond and Gold all stood in front of the TV in Aisuru's room, playing Mario Kart on the Wii. This was the 4th console they had switched through, playing on the PokeBox 1, the good old fashioned Ponytendo Color one by one, and the Pika-Station 4 for the past 3 hours.

For some reason, the four of them-no, all of them- refused to go into Ruby's room, as if they had hidden something there that they didn't want the teenager to know about.

 _What the hell did they hide up there that they so desperately don't want me to look at?_

His thoughts were broken as someone tapped him on the shoulder. Platinum looked at Ruby with an eyebrow raised at the confused look on his face.

The boy shrugged, sensing the questioning look. "It's nothing."

"Okay. Umm…sorry senpai, but we need to get going. Pearl has to go somewhere, and Diamond and I promised to go with him. Is it okay?"

"Yeah. It's fine. I'll go call him."

"Gotcha. We'll be waiting outside. Thanks for having us. Bye!" Platinum said, as she cheerfully waved and turned back to leave. Pearl followed suit, also waving and bidding farewell to his senior. The two smiled, and walked through the door.

"Hey, Diamond! You wanna break your promise to Pearl or you wanna go with him?" Ruby exclaimed, catching the trainer's attention. The black haired male immediately understood, and rushed out the door, frantically waving goodbye to his host.

Crimson eyes looked toward the floor as Ruby shook his head, wondering when his juniors started teasing each other so much. _They're waiting for him outside. Hehe. Good troll on their part._

The boy tsked, amazed at how every new generation of DexHolders inherited the same way to pass time, and how they were so childish. _Then again, we were too. On the contrary, most of us still are._

Ruby walked back to the dinner table, and joined the girls in a friendly game of Monopoly.

..

As a crimson-eyed male bought the most expensive property on the board, a golden-eyed male tapped his shoulder. "Hey, Ruby. Sorry, but we gotta go. It's getting a little late. Besides, Silver is supposed to have a friendly battle with Lance in a few minutes. C'mon, Crys."

"Aww, why can't we stay any longer?" The girl pouted, deliberately mocking her boyfriend. "Hey, stop it." Gold laughed, taking Crystal's hand and running out the door, waving to Ruby as he did so. Crystal did the same, whilst Silver also imitated them, with an unreadable expression on his face.

..

As the boy looked around, he noticed that Winona, Sapphire's mentor, had disappeared. "Hey, Ruby." The boy jumped at the voice, startled and surprised. He turned around to meet Wallace's gaze.

"Oh, my, I'm terribly sorry. Didn't expect you'd be startled by that." Wallace apologized wide-eyed, but Ruby shook his head.

"Not your fault, Sensei. I've just been a little less wary these days." The boy said, smiling.

"Well, Winona got a call from Steven. He needed her help for his latest expedition. She had to leave right away, so she told me to say sorry and thank you to you on behalf of her."

"Oh. I understand. It's fine."

"Ruby!" The boy turned at the feminine voice. A blue-eyed brunette walked towards Ruby.

But it wasn't her.

It wasn't Sapphire.

It was Blue. "Yeah?" disappointed, the boy asked, confused.

"Uhh, Green had some stuff planned and he didn't tell me, so he took off alone. I wanna follow him. It's okay, right?"

"Yeah, it's totally fine. Thanks for coming over." The boy replied.

"No problem. Anything for my wee little kohai. Welp, see ya!" the brunette exclaimed, smiling and running out the door in a hurry.

..

Ruby waved at Emerald and Wallace as they flew back to their respective homes on their Flying-types. He slammed the front door, leaning against it.

And broke down.

Sob after sob escaped Ruby's mouth, as tears glazed his eyes twice over. _I thought she'd come back…I thought she'd forgive me…_

After a while, Ruby sniffed, rubbed his bloodshot eyes, and stood up. _Guess some friends are hard to get back after being separated from them for 2 years…_ The boy laughed bitterly, not bothering to wipe off the stray tear that rolled down his right cheek.

 _At least I still have some friends left…_ He thought, smiling sadly as he walked up the stairs to his room. _Maybe the surprise they left me will cheer me up._ As Ruby opened the door, he froze.

There she sat, on his bed, looking at him.

 _Sapphire._

"Maybe now I have gone crazy after all. I'm imagining things." The boy laughed in a melancholy tone, and walked over to the figure, and pretended to stroke the hallucinations' cheek.

And froze when it touched a soft, warm, _human_ cheek.

The raven-haired teenager recoiled, retracting his hand in shock and disbelief. "No way." He whispered, his voice dry and raspy. "Ruby. It's me. Sapphire." A silky, familiar feminine voice broke the rest of the eerie silence. Just as she said those words, moonlight flooded in from the window and rested on her figure.

 _She looks the same as 2 years ago…_

"Ruby…you came back…" the voice said, happiness found near the end, as Sapphire embraced her dear friend in a tight, emotional hug. "Yeah…I did…Sapphire…" He replied, tightly hugging her back as he broke up into a fit of tears of joy and sadness.

"Shhh. Its okay, Ruby. It's okay. I'm here now. We're never going to be apart again." Hearing her voice reassured Ruby to an immeasurable extent. He smiled a genuine smile after 2 long years of fake smiles or half-baked ones.

Going back to his memories with her, he remembered three words. Words that meant the world to him.

 _I like you._

He froze. Fully aware of the fact, he still hadn't told her how he felt. He had planned to, but now, something else held him back.

A question.

A simple question that Ruby repeated in his mind, since his reunion with the girl he loved.

 _How can you still love me, after-_

 _-What I've Done?_

* * *

 **So, how'd you guys like it? Please tell me it was good. I spent the whole day after coming home from school on this chapter. It better be worth it. xD**

 **Welp, that's all I wanted to say, so, until next time.**

 **Cya**


	4. Chapter 3-Castle Of Glass

**Hey, guys! Hopefully you guys liked the last chapter. I had inserted a bunch of other ship moments there, for many other fans. I hope you review and help me reach my goal! (Sorry for not updating yesterday, I had to fix some issues with my PC)**

 **Drop a review to help me fix my writing, it helps a lot!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Going back to his memories with her, he remembered three words. Words that meant the world to him.

 _I like you._

He froze. Fully aware of the fact, he still hadn't told her how he felt. He had planned to, but now, something else held him back.

A question.

A simple question that Ruby repeated in his mind, since his reunion with the girl he loved.

 _How can you still love me, after-_

 _-What I've Done?_

 _Chapter 3-Castle Of Glass_

..

A sharp gasp escaped Ruby's lungs as he woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he recalled yesterday's events. And what happened at night. He reached out to his desk and snoozed the alarm clock. _Hehe...those guys sure have good acting skills...I never expected Sapphire to be there...I guess Professor told them I was coming. Don't understand how they set all that up within 2 hours…but okay…_

The teenager chuckled, slightly amazed by his friends' clever surprise. He and Sapphire had spent the night catching up with the other's lives. The teenager had apologized to his dear friend for leaving those two years ago, for his own selfish needs…or so he thought.

Ruby, trailing off, remembered the note he left for Sapphire and his friends and family.

..

 _I can't take it. Can't bear it. It's too much. I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry, Sapphire. Too much for me._

 _I can't bear having the blood of a person on my hands._

 _Just because that person was going to do something threatening to all of Hoenn or whatever doesn't give me the right to take his life. It wasn't just because of that for which I killed him._

 _There was something else._

 _Hate._

 _I hated him._

 _For controlling you. For making me try to hurt you. For making you say all those things to me. I abhorred him. That was what made me stab him._

 _So I left Sunday. Hopefully these other regional contests will help me forget it. So don't try to stop me. Don't try to look for me._

 _Cause I'm probably never coming back._

… _._

 _I'm sorry._

 _.._

But he still did. He still came back.

For her. He couldn't leave her. And he couldn't forget it. Couldn't let it go. _It won't get lost…_ The boy who always hated battling would never forget the first time he killed someone with his own bare hands… out of _hate._

The same teenager was now walking downstairs, when he heard his mother's voice. "Ruby! You awake, dear? Breakfast is ready if you are!" Aisuru exclaimed from somewhere in the kitchen. Ruby sprinted down the stairs and trotted to the kitchen.

"Hey, mom. Yeah, hey. So, what's for breakfast?" the boy asked, looking around for his favorite cereal: Cocoa Puffs.

Mainly because it sounded like his Delcatty's nickname. Ruby shuffled sideways, looking into all the cupboards for the cereal box. "Ah, there you are." The boy exclaimed, pulling out the box carefully, trying to keep the pantry neat. _Never thought she'd still keep it…_

"Sapphire asked if she could hang out with you today, so I made a little energy snack, for whatever crazy stuff she's going to make you do." Aisuru chuckled, knowing all too well what Sapphire meant by "hanging out".

"Oh. Okay then. I'll just have some milk and cereal with whatever it is, and go later." The said son muttered, taking her statement in an ambiguous way. "And…we don't do that stuff, mom." He mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Aisuru asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"N-nothing." Ruby's mother immediately understood what he was thinking, and cracked up. "What!?"

"Ruby, I think you misunderstood. I was talking about all those wild things Sapphire made you do in the forest. You know, the things you used to when you were younger."

"Oh. Sorry. Erm.." "But if you do that stuff too early, I'm gonna have to tell your father. Remember the story about the Pidgey and Beedrill…"

"Mom!" Ruby exclaimed, clearly embarrassed. Aisuru gave a small chuckle, patting her son's head. "Just messing with you, my little fashion star." The crimson eyed-coordinator grumbled, quickly turning away and heading to the dining room.

"You look the same as always on the outside, Ruby. But deep down, I know you've changed…" Aisuru muttered, smiling softly.

Ruby had overheard this little statement as he closed the kitchen door behind him, and he pressed his back on it. "You wouldn't want to know some of those changes, mom…" the boy mumbled, looking to the floor sadly.

..

"Looks like your etiquette hasn't changed. That's a rather good sign." Aisuru chuckled, looking at her son as she leaned on the doorframe across the room.

"Ha. You'll never be able to change my manners. I'll always be like…uhh…whatchama call it…uhh…that anime guy who has black hair with white stripes and is some crazed perfectionist…uhhh… Gah! Crystal would know this stuff!"

"Know what stuff?" Ruby jumped at the voice, turning around to face Crystal and Silver in the doorway. _Oh crap…Just great…What a coincidence…_

"…Really?" Ruby asked, with a genuine poker face.

"What?"

"Don't tell me Sapphire told you guys it's okay to just _barge_ right into my _freakin'_ house…"

The twintailed female chuckled, shaking her head. "Nah. We've known each other for a while now, Ruby. We know how Sapphire does certain things…"

"Okay, now that's a little stalker-level stuff."

"Whatever. Oh, and what were you talking about?"

"Uh…remember that anime guy you were talking about earlier? You know, the perfectionist guy with black hair with white stripes, uhh..he's the son of Death or something.."

"Oh. Death the Kid. From Soul Eater. He's-"

"Nerd."

"Hey! I am _not_ a nerd. I'm an otaku!" _That's all it took for him to stop her know-it-all lecture…typical Silver._

"So now you're insulting yourself?" "No! You guys are just jealous! Otakus are highly knowledgeable individuals!"

"Yeah, knowledgeable about useless shit. Basically still a nerd. But for anime. And manga." Crystal grumbled, fuming at the redhead's emotionless statements.

Soon, she calmed down, and turned to the raven-haired male seated at the dining table. "Oh, and by any chance, did you see that idiot Gold anywhere?"

"Okay, that's it. What happened the last 2 years I was gone? This is the stupidest thing I've heard you say in ages. As if it isn't obvious I _just_ woke up."

"Oh. Sorry. Hehe, I kind of get a little too worried about Gold when he disappears nowadays. So I get a little too desperate to find his stupid ass." Crystal muttered, rubbing the back of her neck and staring at the floor.

 _It's cause you fuckin' love him, idiot. He's probably kissed you a million times now and you still don't confess._ That's what he wanted to say. But he kept his mouth shut.

"Alright, well, the two of us are gonna go look for him. See you later!" Crystal exclaimed, giving a short wave as she stepped out. Silver followed, giving Ruby and his mother a slight nod as he left.

..

Ruby waved goodbye to his mother as he left the house, heading towards Sapphire and his secret base. That was the place where they usually met up. The boy crawled through the little opening to enter the hideout, and in the dim light he saw the girl he was looking for.

"Hey, Ruby!" Sapphire called out, greeting the boy with their customary daily hug. "Hey, Sapphire." The boy smiled, hugging her back. "So…what do you wanna do?" Ruby asked, after they pulled apart.

"Hmm…maybe go swing on some vines for old times' sake? Hehe, I'll bet you still can't swing on 3 without falling." The brunette suggested, smirking at the last statement.

"Oh, just you wait. I can do that now. Alright then, if I win, you're gonna have to enter one of the Normal Rank contests. Any category." The male said, smirking as well. Sapphire's expression faded, but then returned as she stated _her_ conditions.

"If _I_ win, which I will, you're gonna have to challenge the Dewford town Gym Leader, Brawly. Or better yet, your dad." She said, her smirk growing wider as she stared at Ruby's horrified expression.

"Heh, a little threatening, but I'm still gonna win." "Oh, still arrogant as always, are we?" "I'd like to say the same to you." And so their bantering went on for a couple more hours…

..

Ruby smirked as he watched Sapphire gesture for him to swing. His smirk grew wider as he swung with the first vine easily, reducing his distance from the brunette. Sapphire stared, not too surprised, but still enough for her to look at him with more interest.

The expression on his mouth went from ear to ear as he swung past the last two vines with ease, landing on his feet beside Sapphire on one of the tree's branches. Sapphire looked at him wide-eyed for a few moments, and then sighed.

"Guess I lost…heh… you can do a bunch of stuff then, huh.." Sapphire said, smiling as she looked down 18 feet to the ground.

 _I swear she sounds sad…and…happy..? Oh. That was the only thing she was better than me at, huh…_ Having realized his oblivious state, he quickly made up a lie in his mind and acted it out.

"Ugh, screw it. Can't keep a lie to myself. Fine, fine! I cheated! I let Ruru use Psychic on me in very short bursts of time, so you wouldn't notice the purple aura." The boy lied, frowning as he acted like he was regretful.

"Oh. Really?" he saw the brunette's face brighten up, but he soon realized the real emotion behind it. _Was she sad because I didn't do this myself, now? Then, she was happy because she thought I did before…_

 _I'm so stupid…and oblivious…_

"Welp, let's go back now. I guess I still technically have to do it. Never said no Pokemon allowed." Sapphire muttered, jumping off the branch and landing on the ground. Ruby followed, swinging off the branch as gracefully as possible.

The boy followed Sapphire until she stopped and turned around, head tilted with confusion. "Wait…aren't you gonna return Ruru to its Pokeball? And where _is_ she?"

"Nah. She likes staying out of it nowadays and hanging out with the other Pokemon." Ruby lied, shaking his head.

"Okay." Sapphire nodded, turning back around and continuing to walk toward Oldale, where Pilo was staying.

Then, everything stopped. Literally.

Ruby soon noticed this, and looked around with confusion. He felt no breeze, heard no sound, saw no movement. "Hello?" he said, waving his hand in front of Sapphire's face. _No way…_ "How the he-"

"I see you've understood what happened already, Ruby. As expected of you."

"Who the hell are you? And _where_ are you?" the said boy asked.

"I am someone you should've met. I am someone with great power. I control lots of things. Including time. I'm sure you've understood what that means."

"How did you-"

"Ah-ah-ah. It's not 'how'. It's 'why'. Well, you'll figure out both later once I start taking action. So as long as you live, which may be not much longer, remember my name. This man in front of you, will take everything you love, everything you treasure from you. Including the girl. All only for my entertainment. For my mission. To watch the world burn. To watch humanity's response. Cause I _love_ humans. That's the only reason why. And I'm going to begin that mission with you."

As these words were spoken, a man dressed in gray and black walked out onto the path. He bore hooded grey eyes that held a dark past behind them.

His fine, short violet hair was worn in a dignified manner. And he kept staring at Ruby's stomach as he was very short and lean. Somehow, this man looked and sounded hilarious to Ruby.

"The name that you will come to fear. Mine. Always, _always_ , remember this name." And he disappeared as he said a word that hung in the air like a curse.

 _Rhazien._

Then, everything turned back to normal. The autumn breeze continued. The sounds of the town and forest continued. And every other human being around continued with their lives, as if nothing had happened.

But he stood there. With a horrified expression on his face.

"Ruby! Hey! Ruby! Prissy boy!" Ruby felt himself being shaken violently, as he returned to the world and looked at Sapphire's annoyed expression. Sapphire's tone immediately softened into concern as she realized Ruby's current state.

"Hey. What's wrong? You spaced out on me for a bit." She softly said, staring at him with concern. "O-oh. Nothing. Just a little daydream. "Ruby replied, shaking off the question with a little hand gesture.

"Oh. Well okay. C'mon, we're almost at Oldale. You want me to enter the contest, right?" "Well, yeah." "Then let's go."

The boy smiled, happy that he could spend more time with his crush again. Now, he could mend the cracks in their bond that had grown larger the past 2 years. But, he couldn't help but feel threatened by the violet-haired man.

 _First of all, who is he? How and when did he capture Dialga? What is he truly aiming for? Why is he trying to take Sapphire and everybody else away from me?_

Out of all Ruby's fears, there is only one that exceeds the level of fear that he feels when he comes in contact with dirt or mud. Losing her. Losing Sapphire.

Most of all, he never wanted to break their bond.

The bond he had built up, like a –

- _Castle Of Glass._

* * *

 **So, how'd you like this one, guys? This is the longest chapter so far, and I hope I did good on it. Please, please, please leave a review to help me fix some grammar mistakes or help give me ideas to add to my story.**

 **Anyways, sorry for not updating yesterday, once again.**

 **So,** _ **hopefully**_ **, I can update again tomorrow. So be prepared.**

 **Welp, until next time.**

 **Cya**


	5. Chapter 4-The Catalyst

**Hey, guys! This is another chapter that I was able to squeeze out today. Sorry about the HUGE delay. Now, I got a few more reviews in the last couple days, and most of them suggested and asked a couple things. So, here's my reply to you guys.**

 **Srae13 : Thank you very much for all the compliments! And, yes, I was planning to do that this chapter.**

 **YuuOtosaka and Gordon : Thank you as well for all the positive feedback! Yes, meeting Rhazien was the unexpected, and not yet known, reunion. He was somebody Ruby fought against before. Be prepared. You'll get a hint of who it is near the end of this chapter. It will be revealed on Chapter 6. (Note: Rhazien is actually going to be revealed as an antagonist of one of Aeyra's stories. Just switched up the storyline, changed his appearance and got rid of any FranticShipping moments. Those are gonna come later. Won't tell which story it is though. ;P)**

 **Well, enjoy this one!**

* * *

The boy smiled, happy that he could spend more time with his crush again. Now, he could mend the cracks in their bond that had grown larger the past 2 years. But, he couldn't help but feel threatened by the violet-haired man.

 _First of all, who is he? How and when did he capture Dialga? What is he truly aiming for? Why is he trying to take Sapphire and everybody else away from me?_

Out of all Ruby's fears, there is only one that exceeds the level of fear that he feels when he comes in contact with dirt or mud. Losing her. Losing Sapphire.

Most of all, he never wanted to break their bond.

The bond he had built up, like a –

- _Castle Of Glass._

Chapter 4: The Catalyst

..

Two pairs of feet landed on the soft grass in Verdanturf town, as Ruby and Sapphire carefully slid off Pilo. The brunette rubbed the Tropius' neck as the flying type nuzzled her affectionately.

"Thanks Pilo, you can fly back to Oldale for now." With that said, the Tropius gracefully flapped its wings and flew off into the horizon. Ruby ran past a couple houses and a Pokemon Center, Sapphire following closely behind.

Soon, the pair reached a huge, octagon-shaped contest hall. Ruby craned his neck upwards to read the sign aloud to Sapphire. "Pokemon Contest Hall. Normal Rank. Any Pokemon allowed. That good enough, Sapph?" "Yeah, sure."

The male nodded, walking past the automatic sliding doors. Excited, Sapphire eagerly followed, wanting to experience what her best friend was so passionate for. As she looked around, the brunette noticed the place had a slightly luxurious feel to it.

"Over here, Sapph." The said girl turned around to follow her friend, who was now gesturing her over to the reception counter. "Well, hello there!" Sapphire looked over at the lady behind the counter.

 _She looks nice._ "Oh. Hi." "You must be a friend of Ruby's?" "Uh, yeah. I'm Sapphire." "Nice to meet you! I'm Lisia!" The woman smiled, looking at Sapphire cheerfully. She brought out her hand and Sapphire shook it.

"Well, Lisia, she lost a bet, see, and now she has to enter a Normal Rank Contest. Do you have any spare contest costumes and a contest pass for her?" "Oh, sure thing. Be right back."

..

The lady soon returned, humming a small tune as she walked back in and handed Sapphire a bunch of different costumes and a small pass. "Here you go! The costumes are all different, the best for every category!"

"Alright, hmm….Since you're Sapphire, you're definitely either going for the Tough or Cool Categories…"

"Uhh, yeah. _Duh._ " Sapphire, replied, rolling her eyes, as if it was obvious. "So, in that case, you'll want some buffed up costume or a dark accented one."

"Oh, okay. So where do we go?" Sapphire asked, confused. "Over here, guys. Through here and the corridor to the left. That's the changing room and waiting area." Lisia called, gesturing to the hallway to her right.

"Yeah. That's where all the contenders go. C'mon Sapph." Ruby called, grabbing Sapphire's free hand and dragging her along. The girl couldn't help but savor the warmth of Ruby's hand in hers, and she felt her face heat up.

..

Ruby leaned against the wall near the door, as he waited for Sapphire to finish changing into her Cool Contest clothes. Soon, he heard the door clicking, and he turned his head to see how his friend looked.

And his jaw dropped to the floor as he stared at the figure in awe. _She looks…amazing…_ Truly, the sight was breathtaking for Ruby. The clothes fit Sapphire's figure and her personality perfectly.

The brunette was clad in flashy blue sweatpants, a stylish black tank top that didn't quite cover her stomach, and holsters with two plastic, but genuine-looking swords attached to her back.

Her hands were fitted with black and red leather gloves, and she even had a black belt around her waist. "H-how do I look?" The girl asked, nervously shuffling around 360 degrees for her friend to examine her.

"Y-you look…amaz- _nice_." The boy exclaimed, breathless. _Nice catch there. I could've gotten myself into an extremely awkward situation._

"T-thanks. And, uhh, could you…tie up my hair? You know, into a ponytail. And with a black hair band." Sapphire asked, holding out the brush and hair band. "Sure thing. Let's go to the other room."

..

Ruby gestured Sapphire to sit down in front of the mirror, as he expertly used the brush to fix her chestnut-brown hair and tie it into a ponytail. "There, now you look amazing." He blurted out, and he flinched.

 _Okay, Ruby. Keep your cool. Act like this is casual and not something serious._ The said boy now cocked his head in confusion, staring at Sapphire's blushing face. "What? Something wrong?"

"N-no. And, t-thanks. Do you really think I look amazing?" Sapphire asked, while she did a very un-Sapphire like thing: tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah? Why not?" Ruby replied, now struggling to keep his act on.

"Heh. I don't know. Just asking…" the blue-eyed female said, smiling and blushing as she looked toward the floor. "Well, get ready. You're going fourth. What Pokemon are you gonna use?"

"Oh. Hmm…I'll use Toro. He's the coolest one on my team."

"Okay. How many Spicy Pokeblocks have you fed her?" Ruby asked, curious. "Umm….what are those…?" Ruby face palmed, sighing heavily as he explained what they were to a clueless Sapphire.

"Oh. No, I never did that stuff." "Figures. Alright, guess we'll have to just yolo it this time. Just try to be cool, okay?" "Easy enough. I'll ace it, no problem!" Sapphire exclaimed, determinedly pumping her fist.

"I would like to believe that. Alright, let's go." Ruby sighed, walking out of the room towards the waiting area. Sapphire followed suit, still with the same expression on her face as she recalled the words her friend had said only a few minutes ago.

' _You look amazing.' Heh. I liked all that arguing we used to do. But I like his compliments even more._

"Alright, here we are." Ruby said, shaking Sapphire out of her daze. "Let's sit over there. It's my favorite spot." The boy said, gesturing to one of the sofas.

"Okay." Sapphire replied, nodding and following the coordinator. The pair sat down on a comfy violet sofa, facing the flat screen TV showing the live feed of the contest. Beside them, other contestants sat on single-person sofas.

"And now, our second coordinator, Cormac and his Gallade!" The announcer exclaimed, gesturing with an outstretched arm toward the stage. Out came a lean, short figure.

A figure that froze a certain crimson-eyed male.

Ruby's eyes stared agape at Rhazien, as the man walked out onto the center of the contest hall, staring around at the crowd and flashing a rather unusual smile.

"Now, let the judging begin!" The announcer exclaimed, as the violet-haired man and his devoted Pokemon glided across the stage, showing off their ridiculously flashy costumes and equally ridiculous exaggerated moves. The crowd cheered, some throwing flowers at the coordinator, as Rhazien walked back to the place he came from.

"Well, then! Judging by the looks on the crowd and judges' faces, Cormac and Gallade start off with a whopping 60 points!" The crowd erupted in cheers and screeches, and most of the people in the waiting room even had to cover their ears.

"Alright then, Sapphire, you're next. C'mon, we gotta get there fast!" Ruby, already recuperating from his shock, led his friend to the back of the stage. As soon as the duo walked past the door, Ruby spotted those dark eyes that a certain man bore.

Those eyes, were looking directly at him. And, as if on cue, Ruby's eyes darkened, and he glared at Rhazien as the man devilishly stared at the coordinator.

 _I know you won't be that surprised by this._

Ruby jumped, startled and confused by the already too familiar voice in his head.

' _It's Dialga's hidden ability isn't it?'_

' _Of course it is. What, you think I'm some psychic maniac?'_

' _Well, no shit, Jenny. You are.'_

' _Think what you want. I knew you'd stay calm. Typical Mr. I Hate Dirt.'_

' _Why are you in my head? And how are you using telepathy when Dialga isn't near?'_

' _You sure it isn't?'_

'… _What do you want with me…?'_

' _I'll answer that later. But, first, watch out.'_

' _Wait…wha-'_

Ruby's little telepathy conversation was taken to a stop as Sapphire slapped him straight on his right cheek, leaving a throbbing red mark on his skin. "Ouch….That hurt, Sapph. You meanie." Ruby said, pouting to cover up his surprised expression. "Well, you were being a sick _pervert!_ What happened these two years?" Sapphire remarked, blushing and fuming at Ruby, who returned the look with a confused expression.

Then, the boy realized he had been staring at an area only perverts would look at, and Ruby instantly blushed. "O-oh. S-sorry. I was just daydreaming. Hehe." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning like a child. "Oh, well, whatever. Cheer me on, I'm up!" Sapphire exclaimed, grinning at her friend as she walked onto the stage, ready to start her first Pokemon contest.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, Sapphire secretly liked being looked over by him to some extent. So, as the brunette walked out, Ruby looked around the backstage area in search of the man who had spoken to him inside his head.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

 _He's like a ghost._

Ruby walked up right behind the entrance to the stage, and peeked sideways to watch Sapphire as she started her Introductory Round. Sapphire started it off by gliding around the stage, stopping in cool stances, completely in sync with Toro.

 _She looks as if she's a pro. Heh. Guess she might be able to ace this after all._ The boy smiled, staring in awe at his friend, who was currently overjoyed by the positive feedback she and Toro were getting from the audience.

Toro then showed off a bunch of its cool moves, pointing some straight at Sapphire, who skillfully dodged them, earning the duo an array of gasps from the audience. Then, as if it was a parting gift that the audience was supposed to respond to, she told Toro to deliver a final move-Sky Uppercut.

Indeed, the crowd responded, shaking the building with cheers and shouts of "Woo!', "Wonderful!", "Amazing!" and "Awesome!". "Well then, according to the audiences' chant, Sapphire Birch has gained 65 points, granting her passage to the Battle Round!" the announcer exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. Sapphire smiled, waving cheerfully at her new fans as she ran off the stage, and enveloped Ruby in a hug. "Mmf- Heh. Good job out there, Sapph." Ruby said, patting the brunette on the back and smiling.

"That was _awesome_ , Ruby! You should show me how to do this stuff! I _totally_ underestimated these contests! Now, I'm pretty sure it's not just for prissy, fashion-savvy girls!" Sapphire exclaimed, cheerily throwing her arms up into the air as she reduced the distance between them, so far that her screams were the first sounds to reach Ruby's ears.

"Eeeek! Sapph! Don't scream right into my ears!" Ruby exclaimed, clamping his palms over his hearing utensils.

"Oh. Sorry. Heh, got a little too overjoyed there. Still, could you?" Sapphire asked, putting on a typical puppy eye expression. Ruby flinched at the sight, clearly surprised. Yet, he gave in and sighed. "Yeah, sure, why not?" He said, smiling weakly, knowing what would come next.

"But always come when I say so okay?" The brunette said, placing her hands on her waist, pouting with serious eyes. _She's still the same person…I'm sure of it…She's still Fire-chan…_ Ruby trailed off, remembering all those times Sapphire had stood in that stance whenever he had climbed up a tree.

 _When everything was simple and easy…_

"So, do we go wait again for the next round? "

"Yeah, c'mon. The staff will tell us who you're battling against." Ruby answered, pulling Sapphire toward the waiting room. Meanwhile, one question kept repeating in his mind.

 _Have I met him before?_

..

 _I swear it feels as if I'm in a broken video game. My body's tingling. What happened?_

"Now, the match-ups for the Battle Round! First up, the foreigners Alexavier Adams and Nash Bowman! Second in the round, we have tourist coordinators Zachary Haden and Gallagher Ellsworth! And, last but not least, the audience favorites, Cormac Crawford and Sapphire Birch!" The people in the waiting room clamped their ears shut as the crowd erupted, once again, with cheers, as the final 3 battle matchups appeared on the screen.

All of them had their hands on their ears.

All of them but Ruby.

He was, frozen.

 _No way. He couldn't have-_

' _Oh yes I could've. Why, got a problem?'_

Once again, the boy jumped, but quickly regained his composure.

' _You stopped time to change the pictures on the screen didn't you…'_

' _Oh, what? Of course not…'_

' _Don't play dumb with me, Rhazien. I've studied you well enough to know that you would have no problem doing that stuff.'_

' _Oh, really? You've only spoken to me, like, 3 times including now. Are you sure it's not prior knowledge? Hmm, maybe if I make Gengar use Dream Eater on you when you're asleep, you'll remember.'_

As soon as he heard those words, time stopped. Again.

And out of nowhere, the man he had been talking to appeared. But, now, his hair was colored blonde. Now, his costume was off, and everything made sense.

Everything, as in every single, horrid memory of an encounter he wished he never had, that caused every inch of tissue in his body to acquire frostbite.

"Rei…"

"Excuse me, but I think your friends forgot to tell you. My name is Jef- _Jade_ " The man corrected, obviously about to crack that old joke again.

For a moment, Ruby felt relieved and happy that he hadn't killed a person.

Then, reality came flooding in, and his eyes darkened as he glared at the crazed man in front of him. The same man, who had brainwashed Sapphire. Used her. Turned her against the DexHolders. Made them want to fight her.

Made Ruby want to kill him.

"Well then, now that you know who I am, I'll be leaving you till the next time we meet. But first, I have to check to see if that wild brunette has gotten any better than the last time we fought."

"Wa-wait!" Ruby exclaimed, running after the man, but ran into one of the staff in the doorway.

 _He already started time again. Ugh…_

"Oh. Oops. Sorry about that." Ruby said, rubbing his neck and laughing weakly. "O-oh my gosh! No, no, no, it's fine! I'm terribly sorry! It's a sin to bump into the master coordinator!" The staff member, who now looked to Ruby to be around 16 or so, bowed down apologetically and stood to the side, as if he was part of the army welcoming a king somewhere. Ruby, dumbfounded, just nodded his head blankly, and walked past.

 _Well that was weird. Never met a staff member that actually watched the contests…_

Ruby walked back up to his watching spot behind the entrance, and watched as the battles began.

..

"And now, for the final battle in this round, the audience favorites, Cormac and Sapphire!" The audience burst up in a bomb of cheers and flowers, as the two coordinators walked onto the stage from opposite ends, "Now, rules are simple. One Pokemon each, and it _has_ to be the one you used in the Introductory Round. Battle goes on till either Pokemon faints. No items or berries allowed during the duration of the battle. Okay! 3! 2! 1!

"Battle begin!"

As the last phrase was uttered, a referee brought down the flag, signaling the start of the battle. Two Pokeballs shot rays of red as the two coordinators let out their Pokemon. "Gallade!" "Toro!"

The two Pokemon came down onto the stage in equally silly stances, yet got an overdose of attention from the audience. "Gallade, Ice Punch like an uppercut!" Before Sapphire could even utter a word, the steadfast Gallade slammed its frozen right fist up into Toro's jaw, sending the Fire-Type flying towards the ceiling.

"Toro, wake up! Snap out of it! If you stay dazed for any longer you'll faint!" Sapphire exclaimed, panicked at the speed at which her friend was falling. Soon enough, the Blaziken recovered. "Now, land on Gallade with Blaze Kick!" The Blaziken obediently did so, engulfing its dominant foot in orange-red flames as it continued falling toward the ground, feet positioned for a precise kick. Rhazien smiled, slightly impressed by her improved way of battle. _'Though, not enough to beat me, child.'_

"Gallade, use Knock Off to counter it, and use Zen Headbutt!" Within seconds, Sapphires strategy was ripped to shreds as the buffed up Gallade decimated Toro with the Dark Type move. Then, the quick paced Pokemon slammed into its opponent, its head emanating a blue aura as it sent Toro toward the north wall. The impact cause the contest hall to shake, spitting rubble and spreading dust everywhere.

"Toro! Wake up! Can you fight anymore? Answer me, buddy!" Sapphire shouted, frantically looking for a way to make her Pokemon snap out of its dazed state. "Too bad. Gallade, finish it off with Psycho Cut. Right to the chest, bud." Rei said, grinning evilly as his obedient Pokemon swiftly went back to the Blaziken to deliver the finishing blow. Its sword like arms emanated as the Gallade slashed Toro's chest, leaving a deep cut mark on it.

"That's it! Looks like Blaziken is unable to battle. Cormac and Gallade win and move on to the next part of the Battle Round!" The audience cheered for Rei and threw flowers at him, though a couple threw some to Sapphire to cheer her up. The brunette smiled at them and waved once again, running backstage. Ruby sighed, walking up to the sniffing girl and rubbing her back. "Don't worry, Sapph. It's just your first contest. That always happens once in a while."

"Yeah, you're right. Welp, that was still awesome! And you were, too, Toro." Sapphire softly said, looking at the Pokeball happily. "Now, let's go back to the forest and do some stuff with the Pokemon!" Ruby exclaimed, cheerfully pulling along the dumbfounded trainer.

"Wait..what…?" "Hmm? What is it? Something wrong?" Ruby asked, tilting his head in confusion as he stopped in his tracks and stared at Sapphire. "N-nothing." Sapphire, albeit confused, allowed her cheerful crimson-eyed friend to drag her along.

But inside, Ruby wasn't cheerful. Not at all.

Not after the one thing that he kept repeating in his mind.

One that he could never forget.

The cause of all of these problems.

… _I am…_

 _-The Catalyst._

* * *

 **Welp, that was it! How'd you like it guys? Please R & R! Again, sorry about the huge delay(Screw you school, lmao)**

 **I'm gonna try to update quicker next time. For now, just tell me how I did, should I improve on something, normal stuff like that.**

 **And, please give me ideas for what to make the DexHolders do for the next couple chapters after Chapter 5-With You**

 **Anyways, now that I've done so many things wrong, I'm sure that I need a sarcastic muse. Guess who it is?**

 **Brendan:** **No shit, it's either me, Ruby, Sapphire, or May, ya dimwit.**

 **Me:** **Well, so-rry, but I like to do the typical shit.**

 **Brendan:** **Well, whatever. You're gonna get a lot of hate for leeching off that Aeyra dude's story.**

 **Me:** **Well, at least I said I continued it from his. Besides, he hasn't updated that story in** _ **years**_ **now. So it's better this way, right?**

 **Brendan:** **Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say,** _ **copycat.**_

 **Me:** **Hey! I am** _ **not**_ **a copycat! I'm providing service by continuing a cancelled story!**

 **Brendan:** ***Snort* Pfft, yeah, some service this is. You changed so many things that I can't list 'em all in the Bible.**

 **Me:** **Umm, can we not bring any religious stuff into this? I'm gonna get a lot of hate comments.**

 **Brendan:** **Fine, fine. Could you just say your usual farewell shit now? This chapter is like, 3600 words.**

 **Well, you heard him, peeps.**

 **So, until next time!**

 **Cya~**


End file.
